Just A Kiss
by ILoveRomione1
Summary: They were friends long before they were lovers. It was never meant to be anything more, but it just happened, as things so often do. And along with it came a fair amount of confusion. [Multi-chapter. Sirius/OC. Marauder era. Work in progress. Rated M.]
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I only own Emilia and the storyline, but Queen Rowling owns everything.

* * *

Her last thought was of him.

It was inevitable that the man who stole her heart forever also stole her last thought.

Ironic even, she would have said, since she had spent the last years of her life running away from the same thoughts that clouded her mind during those last few seconds.

The green light flashed and she lay on the ground, a slight smile still playing on her lifeless lips, for the memory of his touch was still very much alive.

As the person who had taken her life turned and ran without giving a second thought to what he had done, and the war raged around her beat up body, somewhere a man looked up through the small, barred window in his cell and whispered a small promise to her, his grey eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

"Someday, Emilia."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello. I'm back. I know I started a jily story years ago and I only got to chapters in, but I have hopes for this one (and eventually plan on finishing the jily one too). You should also know this is the prologue (the rest of the chapters will be longer) and the next chapter will be a bit of background, but the tory will take place during seventh year and hopefully after, depending on how this plans out. As usual, a review is deeply appreciated as they keep me motivated. All ideas will be taken into consideration.

I hope you like Emilia, as I am very proud of her.

Nicole xx


	2. How They Came To Be

**First Year; October 31st**

Emilia Winston spent her first two months at Hogwarts almost completely alone. She had made no friends, but didn't particularly mind at the time. She had enough homework as it was, anyway. Plus, being a muggleborn, she had a lot to catch up on. So she spent the first few weeks amazed with everything she was learning, from spells to potions, and even to how the food magically reappeared on the table at the Great Hall. It was amazing to her how she could have missed all this. How _anyone_ could miss all this!

It wasn't until the end of October that she realized she had missed out on one of the best parts of Hogwarts: the other wizards and witches her age. But, at the age of eleven, she wasn't exactly the definition of 'social' or 'outgoing'. So she did what she did best, throw the occasional polite smile in hopes of someone approaching her, like in the books she loved to read.

Of course, it didn't go how she planned. She certainly hadn't planned to be approached while stuffing delicious food into her mouth.

It was The Halloween Feast, and she was damn excited. If she loved Halloween as an everyday muggle, then she was sure she would adore it as the newfound witch she was.

Thank God she hadn't pulled out one of her vampire costumes, because that would have been embarrassing, seeing as everyone was wearing their normal uniform. As she followed the rest of her class down the ever-changing labyrinth of stairs, she couldn't help but be a tad bit disappointed. She was expecting costumes and candy, not a speech from the Headmaster. But they had all been called to the Great Hall, and Emilia was no one to argue with that.

Suddenly, she heard laughter from ahead, and she jumped up, trying to get a view over the rest of the crowd. Frustrated, but not about to give up, she pushed her way through to the front, and let out a loud giggle. Peeves had gone all out. Even Nearly Headless Nick was helping him, by… well, being nearly headless by the entrance. The corridor had been covered in some type of magical slime that changed colors: from green, to orange, to black, to red, to purple. The rest of the ghosts were flying quickly from one side to another, and one of them had just flown through one of her unsuspecting classmates, causing the laughter. Peeves was laughing like a maniac, throwing exploding candy all around the corridor, causing bursts of lights to appear everywhere. Occasionally, the sparks would take the form of a bat and fly around the room before exploding and disappearing like the rest of them.

It was amazing.

With a loud pop, a bag of sweets appeared in everyone's pockets. Emilia was in awe. To think she had dared to feel disappointed barely a minute ago. She followed everyone to the Great Hall, stepping over slime and sweets scattered on the floor.

When she stepped inside, once again her mouth dropped open. It looked stunning. Carved Pumpkins where floating between the candles that were usually there, and the tables were completely filled with Halloween themed food. She couldn't imagine ever being able to eat enough of it.

She sat down at the long Gryffindor table, and immediately began piling food on her plate. She stopped with a groan when she heard the Headmaster clear his throat at the front of the Hall. He held up a hand, signaling for a pause in conversation.

"I see everyone is quite excited," he started, looking around with twinkling eyes. "I will allow us to return to our food, but first I would like to thank our very own Peeves for making this year's feast as exciting as ever with his touch of mayhem. His dedication to trouble-making is remarkable, and something to be acknowledged. Now, as I'm sure you all know, the sixth and seventh year Halloween Ball will take place tonight at 9 pm, and Professor McGonagall has asked me to remind you that fifth years will not be allowed at the ball, and she will be particularly strict about strays this year. Without further ado, let the feast begin."

Dumbledore turned and immediately the talking resumed loudly, and Emilia kept piling food on her plate. She couldn't decide what else she might want, since everything looked so delicious. She grabbed a couple of chocolate frogs and set them beside her plate for later. As she grabbed her fork and stuffed her mouth with mashed potatoes, she became aware of two voices on either side of her talking back and forth.

"She sure does eat a lot."

"That she does, mate. That she does."

"You reckon she'll eat all that?"

"If she does, I've got competition."

Emilia sat up straighter and arched an eyebrow, looking back and fourth between them. As she chewed, she took in the spectacled boy on her right, who was now grinning sheepishly at her, his jet black hair sticking up in several directions from the hand he had just ran through it. To her right, a taller boy was casually straddling the seat beside her and was smirking at her challengingly, his black wavy hair falling over one of his grey eyes as he cocked his head to the side at her.

With some difficulty, she finally swallowed and set her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?"

The boy with the glasses stuck his hand out at her, "James Potter." She shook his hand, eyeing him carefully. "And that's Sirius. He eats a lot."

She stuck her other hand out to him and Sirius shook it, grinning at her. "Hello…?"

"Emilia."

"Emilia!" he said loudly, as if testing the word out. "I like it. So Ems –can I call you Ems? –you sure eat a lot. Care to engage in some friendly competition?"

Emilia stared at the two boys, and then down at her hands still awkwardly clasped in theirs. Her mind immediately went to the books she read, and she let out a small snort. This would most definitely _not_ happen in any of them _._

Nevertheless, she smirked up at Sirius, shaking his hand firmly once more. "It's on."

* * *

 **First Year; November 19th**

"What are you even doing to that poor owl?"

Emilia jumped, startled, causing the owl to peck her finger and fly back to it's cage with a loud screech. She turned to flash him an annoyed look, slipping the letter into the pocket of her school robes. "I'm just trying to send a letter… on an owl…"

James walked over to stand beside her, looking out over the castle grounds. "Well, with how you were abusing that poor creature…"

Emilia smacked his shoulder, pouting. "I've never had to tie a letter to an owls foot, James."

He simply laughed, motioning for the letter with his hand. "Give it here, my dad taught me ages ago."

Emilia fetched the letter from her robe, handing it to him. He turned it over, reading the name on the front. "Maxxie? Who's Maxxie?"

Emilia sighed, turning back to lean on the railing. "My older brother. I promised I'd update him as soon as possible, and it's already November. He's going to kill me."

James grinned, poking her side. "Update, eh? Did you write about me in here?"

Emilia laughed, blushing slightly. "Of course I did, you, Sirius and even Remus; you're my friends. I even added one of the pictures we took after the competition. I don't have one with Remus though…"

James walked over to one of the cages, and a gray owl hooted at him. He took a treat from one of the jars next to it, feeding it to the owl before calling Emilia over. "Look, you tie the string to the letter like this," he demonstrated, looping the string around it several times before making some type of loop at the top. "The owl should hold it's foot out when you're ready—they're pretty clever like that. And you loop it, pull it tight—not that tight! Yes, just like that. There you go!"

Emilia smiled at him, grateful, "Thanks, James."

"Yup."

They stood there in comfortable silence for a few minutes, staring after the owl that flew off with her letter. She wouldn't have imagined herself being such good friends with James, but it worked, especially with Sirius in the mix. Every morning since they had first met she would walk down to the common room at exactly the same time, and she found James waiting for her. They would go to breakfast, and when they were about to leave, Sirius would run in, ruffle her hair, grab a piece of toast, and run back out ahead of them, eternally late. With Sirius it was always loud, but with James, she would allow her mind to wander, and he didn't seem to mind. They understood each other without really saying much, somehow. There was something comforting about their relationship, something different.

And then there was Remus. There was something about him she couldn't quite understand. It was as if he was constantly there, just not completely. As if he was holding himself back. It wasn't that she didn't like him or anything, she did, but she didn't know him as well. Sirius and James seemed to like him good enough, and they hung out with him when she wasn't around, she knew. Admittedly, she was mostly always around. But she didn't quite understand him. He was funny, in a know-it-all kind of way—that much she knew. He wasn't always around them, she noticed he liked to spend time reading and studying.

She was happy, she realized as she thought about her newfound friends. James, Sirius, even Remus, they all made her happy. She had started out that year with no one but herself, and she hadn't realized she even needed anyone else until James and Sirius had approached her. After becoming such fast friends though, she had no idea what she would do without them.

James looked at her sideways, curious. "What?"

She had't even realized it, but she was smiling. "Nothing, just thinking."

"Completely spaced out, love."

"Oh, shut up," she giggled, blushing slightly.

James laughed and slid down to the floor of the owlery, stretching his legs out in fornt of him. He patted the space next to him, and Emilia threw him a disgusted expression, eyeing the feathers and dirt cautiously.

James laughed and reached up to pull her down by the arm, "Come on, Ems, a little dirty never hurts."

"Easy for you to say, you dirty beast."

He rolled his eyes, pushing his glasses further up his nose and pouting. "That hurt," he whispered, and then paused before grinning widely. "All better now, I recover quickly."

"Funny, Potter."

"You love me," he smiled, poking her side. He paused for a few seconds, before looking at her again. "So why your brother?"

"Huh?"

"You said you were writing your brother," he explained matter-of-factly. "So why him and not your parents?"

Emilia frowned, having forgotten how observant James was for an eleven year old boy. "My dad left when I was little, and mum works a lot, so I write to him and he keeps her updated. They write me back together."

He nodded, taking it in. She waited, expecting him to ask her about her dad, but nothing came, and she was thankful. She didn't exactly know what had happened –her mom said she'd someday understand –but she didn't like talking about it either.

They fell into comfortable silence, and she smiled slightly, laying her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. She felt James shift slightly, getting comfortable, and after a few minutes, she could feel his breathing even out and a few snores escape his lips.

She was definitely happy at Hogwarts so far, she thought, and felt herself drift off as well into dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **First Year; November 27th**

Emilia met Peter in her first year, when she was partnered with him in a Potions assignment. She hadn't really noticed him before that, since after becoming James and Sirius' friend she felt she was pretty much set on the friends base, but after a couple of classes she found they instantly clicked.

"Honestly Peter, your technique is awful," Emilia said one afternoon. They were mixing in ingredients for the potion they were brewing for their assignment.

"Hey! You're no professional either," Peter said, the tips of his ears turning pink. After a few days, he had learned to answer her comments, which she began throwing at him as she got more comfortable. At first, she was pretty shy, just like him, but once they got talking, her attitude shone threw.

"Yeah well, it's still a lot better than yours, that's for sure."

Peter rolled his eyes, adjusting his grip on his wand and adding in a troll hair. He still had trouble getting used to the idea of anyone actually liking him, as she seemed to. Even before Hogwarts, he had always been a loner, being picked on by his so called 'friends'. But now, even at eleven, he decided he wouldn't take any of it anymore, although it didn't mean much if he didn't have anyone to defend himself from in the first place.

Which is why he was ecstatic when Emilia asked him if he would like to have lunch with her, James and Sirius later that same day.

* * *

"But he's weird!"

"Well you're no charmer yourself."

"We've never even talked to him!"

"Well, now's your chance," Emilia answered, crossing her arms with a sense of finality. She didn't understand why they were being so pig headed about Peter sitting with them at lunch, but she was having none of it. "And guess what? I've been his partner for almost two weeks now, and he's lovely. So get over yourselves and be nice, both of you."

She watched as James huffed, pulling the hangings around his bed. "How dramatic," she muttered, turning to Sirius, who was standing in front of the mirror, doing something to his hair. "Are you going into hiding too?"

"No, my face is much too pretty for that," he grinned. "And anyway, we'd talk eventually because he bloody sleeps with us, might as well get it over with a lovely lunch or whatever."

* * *

Peter walked over to where Emilia, Sirius and James were sitting, suddenly regretting everything. Why did he have to go and change everything by opening his stupid mouth.

The three of them turned to look at him as he approached, and self conscious was an understatement. He felt his chubby cheeks warm up, and he internally cursed. At this rate, he would make a fool of himself and Emilia would no longer give him the time of the day.

"Peter!" Emilia called, turning her body towards him on the bench. She patted the space beside her, grinning.

"Hello," he said, awkwardly sliding onto the bench.

He looked up at Sirius and James, who were staring at him with a blank expression. "Hello, Peter," they answered at the same time, which in all honestly was extremely creepy.

Peter looked uncomfortably at Emilia, who gave an encouraging nod. He shifted in his seat, and decided the safest thing to do was begin to eat. At least if he had food in his mouth he wouldn't be able to say anything stupid, so he began piling mashed potato's on his plate.

"So, Peter, what does a lad like you get up to in his spare time?"

Peter looked between James and Sirius, wide- eyed, before looking at Emilia, who shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Um..."

"Knock it off, you two."

"Aw, come on Ems—"

"Peter told me he used to play a lot of pranks before coming here," Emilia interjected, narrowing her eyes at both of them. Peter wanted to laugh at how motherly she looked for an eleven year old.

Sirius and James turned to look at him eagerly, and he shrugged slightly. "My, erm, friends… Well, not really my friends, but… um, yes you could call them—

"Go on," James interrupted, smiling slightly.

Peter nodded quickly, "They would tease me sometimes, so in return I would play silly pranks on them. Nothing big, things like their chairs falling under them or the faucet exploding in their face, and they didn't know it was me but… yeah," he finished awkwardly, looking down at his plate. He just had to go and say he used to be teased. This was definitely going horribly.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter, and Peter cringed, preparing himself to be made fun of. Instead, he reached over the table, slapping his arm, "That's brilliant!"

Peter blinked, "I-It is?"

"I did that to my so called cousins," Sirius answered, nodding. "They had it coming. And so did your friends if they were teasing you, right? Make them pay."

"Gotta give 'em hell, eh?" James winked at him, and Peter slowly grinned at them.

Now _that_ idea he liked.

* * *

 **First Year; December 16th**

Lily Evans first talked to Emilia during her first year, the day before they left for Christmas break. She had seen her around with Potter and Black, and in the dorms of course, but she had never actually spoken to her.

She had been packing, along with the rest of the first year girls, because she would be going home for Christmas. She was excited, wanting nothing more than to see her parents again, but also feeling a pang of sadness leaving Hogwarts, even for such a short period of time.

Sighing, she began folding her clothes into neat piles before piling them inside her trunk. She had added an expansion charm she had learned a couple of weeks ago, so she didn't have to worry about not being able to fit everything.

After a couple of minutes, grumbling coming from the bed next to hers caused her to look over. A jet-black haired girl was mumbling under her breath, pointing her wand at her trunk.

"Bloody Potter..."

Lily quirked an eyebrow, setting her things down. "Need help?"

The girl looked up, her blue eyes widening slightly. "Um, okay... You're Lily right?"

Lily smiled at her, extending her hand. "Lily Evans. Emily right?"

"Emilia, actually."

"Oh, sorry. I've seen you around with... Potter, and Sirius."

She watched as the girl stiffened slightly and looked down at her trunk, her hair covering her face in the process. "James is my friend, so is Sirius."

Lily blushed, embarrassed. She hadn't meant to offend her, she just didn't understand how she liked them, especially Potter. As far as she could tell, he liked to make fun of people for no reason. He had certainly teased her endlessly on the train ride to Hogwarts. Lily had tried to make him stop, but every time she told him to, he would grin at her and make her even angrier. "Why?"

Emilia seemed surprised by the question, eyeing her curiously. Then she shrugged, "I won an eating competition," she said simply.

Lily frowned, biting her lip in thought. She liked her. The way she immediately stuck up for Potter, even though she barely tolerated him, was a good sign in her mind. Not many people would, after all. She pointed her wand at Emilia's trunk. "Need help?"

"Yes," she answered immediately, then rolled her eyes. "James said he'd help me with the expansion charm but of course he's off doing God knows what with Sirius and I'm not really getting anywhere-"

With a quick flick and a low mutter, Lily grinned at her. "You're muggleborn too."

"Too?"

"So am I," Lily said proudly, grinning. After a second of thought, she deflated. "Although Severus says it's not exactly a good thing."

She watched as Emilia's eyes darkened, "That's not true. Snape is mean."

Of course she knew him. It seemed all Potter could do was taunt him around her. Lily sighed, running a hand threw her hair. "He's not what he seems. He's a good person."

"I bet he is."

Silence took over the dorm, and Lily wasn't sure she liked her that much anymore. On the other hand, she had already pushed so many people away like that, defending Severus. It wasn't her fault he acted different around her, and it wasn't her job to try to make other people see him through her eyes. He didn't even try.

Emilia's voice broke her train of thought. "How did you know I was a muggleborn?

Lily grinned, "You said "God knows where" instead of Merlin, which is strange around here, I've noticed."

Emilia giggled, "Merlin sounds very strange."

"I imagine we'll get used to it."

They looked at each other for a few seconds, seemingly deciding something. Emilia smiled shyly, tugging a strand of her hair. Lily grinned at her, then turned back to her trunk and pulled something out. "Fancy some sweets?"

Emilia's smile widened at the sight of the Three Musketeers chocolate bars, and she pulled some of her own from the stash by her trunk, sitting crossed leg on the floor and spreading them out in front of her. "Let's eat."

* * *

 **Sixth Year; January 5th**

Sirius Black never really looked at her twice. She was just his best friend. It was simple, from the beginning. They had a competition and he won, and since then they became instant best friends. Endless debates about who had won that initial competition, James insisting it was a tie, and them simply lounging on the sofa in the common room with the rest of the marauders and Lily were what made them friends. They clicked. She balanced him out, and he helped her reach her full potential when she brought herself down. It was just so simple.

During sixth year, Emilia dated a bloke named Harrison from Slytherin. He asked her out after they shared a New Years kiss, and at first she wasn't going to say yes.

"Come on," Sirius said, rolling over and poking her side. He and Emilia were sprawled out on the floor of the boy's dormitory surrounded by various books and parchment. The rest of the marauders where on their respective beds, studying. "If you don't say yes, I'm giving up on girls all together."

Emilia raised an eyebrow, looking at him sideways. James, who was sitting on his bed reading, looked up and laughed. "Maybe you shouldn't then, Ems."

"Oh, shut up, Prongs," Sirius said, chucking his quill at him. "I'm serious –don't you dare say it—"

"We know you are," Peter whispered, poking his head out from around the bed hangings.

"Bloody hell," Sirius groaned, burying his head into the pillow next to him. He stayed like that for a few seconds before looking up and rubbing a hand over his face. "As I was saying, I think you should say yes to that Harrison bloke, even though he's a Slytherin."

Remus laughed, "Very mature of you, Pads."

Emilia cleared her throat loudly, "Excuse me, do I have a say in this?"

"No."

"The fact that we swapped saliva for a night—"

"Ew."

"You did more than that…"

"—does NOT mean I suddenly feel like going out on a bleeding date with him! And Lily agrees," she added for James' sake, who's eyes brightened immediately.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You never know, Ems. What if he's like… I dunno, your other half or something?"

He received four blank stares, "What?"

"Why are you so set on me dating him anyway? You barely even know him. _I_ barely even know him!"

Sirius rolled over once more, staring at the ceiling. He thought it would be good for her, having some kind of serious relationship. Everyone knew what he got up to, and he didn't mind, but he could tell all her meaningless broom cupboard encounters, however many less than his, where starting to get to her. "He seems nice, for a snake."

Emilia scoffed, "Wow, reassuring."

"Look," Sirius said, looking at her seriously. He didn't know why he was trying so hard, but he felt he had to try. "All I'm saying is you should give him a chance. And if not him, someone else."

* * *

 **A/N:** I decided to upload this right away because the prologue is extremely short. So here you go. The whole story won't be formatted like this, with the dates and all. I just wanted to show how they all met and a couple of scenes I thought showed the dynamics between Emilia and everyone else. Does that make sense? Oh well. Please review so I know I'm headed in the right direction. Or wrong direction, that's cool too.

Until next chapter (which is written btw)

Nicole xx


	3. A Small Study Break

A small study break

 _(and that bloody smirk)_

Emilia's last year at Hogwarts was treating her well, in her humble opinion. It was only the beginning of October, but things so far were going smoothly, as far as living at the castle went.

"What the hell did you do that for!?"

Ah, the joys of magic.

"Dunno, I'm bored," shrugged Sirius nonchalantly, holding back a mischievous grin. He had just, for the hell of it, charmed her quill and parchment to grow legs and run away from her. He was bored, after all, and a bloke had to do what a bloke had to do.

"Well, go find your entertainment elsewhere," she snapped, shooing him away. She had been trying to write her DADA assignment, albeit failing miserably. "And for the love of Merlin, please let me finish this damn essay."

"Finish?" He scoffed, clearly amused. "You've only written your name!"

She rolled her eyes, deciding to ignore him. She wasn't really concentrating on her homework, but was still set on using her time on something productive. She pulled out a second quill from her bag, along with a piece of parchment, and threw him a smug smile.

Sirius groaned, using his wand to poke her cheek, eliciting another eye roll from Emilia. "Come _on_ ," he whined, poking her again, this time on her side. "Let's go find the lads and sneak out to the Three Broomsticks. Oh, and Lily," he added cheerfully.

She threw him a look, "I still need to write to Max, I promised him I'd update him as often as I could. Plus, Lily is probably already tucked in bed reading."

"That's exactly why we should go!" Sirius said excitedly, getting up abruptly. "And you can write your dear brother later, when there aren't more important things to do."

With that he pulled her arm, forcing her to stand up, and with a flick of his wand everything scattered on the table began to neatly tuck itself inside Emilia's green bag. "This hardly qualifies as 'more important'" she muttered bitterly, but slung her now closed bag over her shoulder and followed him out of the library. "Honestly, not everyone can master every class without revising."

"Are you calling me brilliant, Ems?"

She smacked the back of his head, "Tosser."

* * *

Barely half an hour later, after Lily had changed out of her pajamas (she had been tucked in bed after all) and Sirius had managed to convince Remus into going out with them, they were on their way through one of the castle's secret tunnels. None of them could see anything because it was pitch black, and James had bet Sirius he couldn't get to the other side of the tunnel without falling on his face, so no one was allowed to use their wands.

"Oi! Watch it Lily," Emilia winced, her foot having just been stepped on by her friend. "You have a heavy step for such a small person."

"Very funny," came Lily's sarcastic response from somewhere to her left. "Remind me again why we're doing this?"

"There is really no viable reason at all," Peter's voice answered from the back, where he was walking with Remus. "We just hang out with a bunch of idiots."

Remus laughed, stretching his hand out in order to (hopefully) pat Lily on the back. He quickly learned not to try his luck in the dark when Emilia's hand slapped him away, "Who the fuck—"

"Sorry!"

"Remus for the love of Merlin, keep your hands to yourself, will ya?"

"I meant to grab Lily's shoulder…"

The rest of the Marauders snickered while Remus, thankful no one could actually see him, blushed a deep shade of scarlet. The group kept walking, stumbling really, towards the other side of the tunnel. Somehow, they all made it out unscathed for the most part, except for a couple of scratches here and there.

They made their way to the Three Broomsticks in more time than was needed, thanks to their brilliant idea of not using light, but when they got there, they were immediately ushered to their usual table by a smirking Madame Rosmerta.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, love," she said, smiling at Sirius.

He merely grinned back, pecking her lightly on the cheek. "I keep my word."

Emilia rolled her eyes at their antiques and turned to him as soon as she left. "You need to stop flirting with her, she's so much older than you are."

"How else would I get free drinks then? And she's not _that_ much older…"

"Such a pig," Lily scolded, but grinned all the same. She was sitting next to James, who she seemed to be tolerating more this year. Emilia made a mental note to ask her about it later. They had been so busy adapting to the workload this NEWT year brought that she had barely any time left to just sit and talk with Lily like they used to, seeing as they fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. She could tell, though, that something had happened between them over the summer. They yelled less at each other (less being the key word), and her glare seemed to be less serious and more mocking than it used to be.

"We're getting absolutely plastered tonight," Sirius declared loudly, pulling Lily into a one-armed hug and ruffling her hair. She screeched and pushed him away, to which he pouted comically. "I need some dancing tonight, I'm completely over NEWTS."

"And by dancing you mean some random girl," Peter interjected with a laugh.

Sirius frowned, shaking his head. "No, today is all about hanging out with the lot of you."

Emilia laughed, and reached over to pluck the book from Remus' hands, "No more of this for tonight."

"Hey!"

"Come on, Moony, lighten up. Look, even Lils here is having fun," James laughed, shielding himself as Lily tried to slap his chest.

"I'll have you know that I was completely blackmailed into coming here by the promise of half a stash of Three Musketeers."

Emilia rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out teasingly. "I didn't say when I'd give them to you though… Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?"

"Oh sod off Em, I'll steal them if you don't give them to me," Lily laughed, scooting back as a drink was placed in front of her by Rosmerta, who had just brought in a round of firewhiskey and butterbeer.

Peter clapped his hands together excitedly, and Remus groaned, but smiled anyway.

"Have fun on my behalf kids," she said, and with a wink she was off back to the bar, swaying her hips along the way.

Sirius smirked, taking his drink and lifting it in the air. "Cheers, to the best year yet."

We all laughed and lifted our glasses and after a loud clink, swallowed the first of many drinks of the night.

* * *

She was dancing. It was late. Her head was spinning in the loveliest way, yet a telltale voice in the back of her head told her it was alarming. She could see Remus and Lily laughing back at the booth from her corner of her eye, just as James walked over and asked Lily to dance. Funnily enough, she didn't snap at him, but threw her head back in a loud laugh, pushing her hand in his as he grinned at her. He pulled her up and they walked closer, Lily grinning back at Remus with a small wave. Emilia giggled (giggled?) and shook her head, turning her attention back to the guy he was dancing with.

Who was this again?

She couldn't even remember his name. But did it really matter?

As he slipped a hand around her waist, pulling her closer, cupping her arse, she decided that it didn't. He was handsome enough. She smelled his strong cologne and wrinkled her nose, but it didn't really matter. It was a one-time thing anyway. He probably didn't like the way her hair smelled, or the way she danced, but who were they to judge each other. They were there to get one thing, and one thing only. She buried her face into his neck as she swayed her hips in time with his and lifted her head a few inches, her eyes taking in the blurriness of the dimmed lights and the people around her. The bloke –Paul? Merlin, was she _really_ about to make out with a _Paul_? –weaved his fingers into her black, short hair, and she was about to look at him when she caught a familiar pair of grey eyes looking straight at her from over some girl's shoulder. She grinned at Sirius, but he didn't grin back. Instead, he whispered something into the girl's ear and walked away without a second glance at either of them.

* * *

"Oi! Wait up!" Emilia yelled, trying to catch up with Sirius. She had immediately followed him out of the bar and into the cold air, not giving another glance to her potential snogging partner. Some things were more important than a good snog, like her best mate looking like he wanted to kill someone.

Sirius turned on her, focusing his stormy grey eyes on her. "So?"

She was immediately taken aback by the harshness in his voice, but put her hands on her hips either way. "So what?"

He smirked, leaning back on the brick wall casually, as if he wasn't looking murderous a mere second ago. "How was he?"

"How was who? That bloke I was dancing with? Sirius you're being absolutely ridiculous! What's got your knickers in a twist?"

He ran a hand through his hair, a sign she knew very well meant he was annoyed, but his smirk didn't falter. "I'm perfectly fine, Emilia. You seemed to be having fun though. What did you follow me for?"

"I saw you walk out, I thought you were mad or something," she said, frowning as he let out a bark of laughter.

"I'm not mad, I just can't watch you do that again."

She didn't know if it was the amount of drinks she had had, or if she was simply thick, but she was completely at loss here. "I don't –I'm sorry, do what again?"

Sirius sighed, and he seemed uncomfortable as he gestured widely, "That thing you do. You snog someone and then you feel like rubbish afterwards!"

Emilia frowned. Either her best mate had gone completely bonkers, or she was imagining this. "I'm not sure I'm understanding—"

"Don't lie to me," he snapped suddenly, taking a step forward. She could suddenly see just how heavy he was breathing, and she could tell he had had his fair share of drinks too by the way his eyes were glazed over. She wanted to look away, but felt like she was frozen as she stared at him. "It kills you, one meaningless bloke after another. I've known you for years, Ems, you're not like this. You don't want this, yet you do it every single time."

Now she was just mad. How dare he? "That's rich, coming from you. You're the definition of "meaningless snog"! You were _just_ dancing with some bimbo—"

"That's not the point!" he barked, his voice extremely loud in the cold air. "I don't care! It doesn't affect me like it affects you, Ems. I know it doesn't. You feel like rubbish after it and you're just… Fuck, you're just filling in some emptiness and it's painful to watch!"

"Oh, so now I'm empty, is that it?" Emilia scoffed, her hands turning into fists at her side as she glared up at him. "You don't know anything, Sirius. You're being an arse. Why do you even care about what I feel? I wouldn't do it if I wasn't okay with it –Bloody hell, why am I even explaining this to you!?"

Sirius looked at her for a few seconds, before he smirked dangerously. She knew that smirk, only she had never seen it directed at her. "What _do_ you feel, Emilia?"

She stared up at him, and shook her head. "What-?"

Suddenly he had taken her shoulders and she was pressed between the brick wall and her best mate's chest. Now that was something she never thought would happen. He leaned down until his mouth was next to her ear, "Do you ever feel this?" he asked, breathing against her neck.

Emilia shuddered, not exactly sure what was happening, but to be completely honest, she wasn't desperate to stop it either. She wasn't sure if that was due to the alcohol running through her veins, but then again, she probably wouldn't even be in this situation if it weren't for alcohol.

Sirius smirked at her again, that smirk she couldn't quite place, and pulled her even closer to him by the waist, one hand cupping her face as he looked down at her. "You see, Ems, I don't think you've ever been kissed right, by someone who actually cares about you, by someone who _knows_ you…"

She was about to protest, but the words caught in her throat as she the tip of her nose touched his and she realized just how close he was.

It was then that it hit her.

That smirk.

That bloody smirk.

That was the smirk he gave to girls he ended up snogging or in bed with.

She knew she should have pushed him away, should have said something (something along the lines of "what the hell are you playing at?"), but really, who was she to argue when it felt so _damn_ good?

So instead, she smirked back up at him (which she could tell surprised him), and during a burst of confidence, wound her fingers in his (incredibly) smooth hair and brought his face closer, to the point where their breaths were one, and looked directly up at him, "Show me."

And Merlin, did he show her.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ok then, here it goes. This is sort of like the first oficial chapter because it's where the story actually starts. Please review, I beg of you.

Nicole xx


	4. The Day After

The day after

 _(And a fair amount of hangover potions)_

The day after was the worst.

How could so much fun end up in such pathetic misery?

Of course, Emilia's redhead best friend looked radiant as ever as she hovered over her, a worried look etched upon her features. "Is your skin normally this pale and… well, sick looking?"

Emilia groaned, rolling over so that her face was buried into her pillow. "I'm not in the mood Lily. Oh Merlin, I've been awful…"

"I told you not to drink so much."

"Thank you, mum," she snapped, lifting her head to glare at Lily. She hated when she did that, acting like she was always right (which she mostly was but she didn't have to rub it in other people's faces). "Will you just give me the potion already?"

She heard Lily sigh and walk over to their shared bathroom, "Maybe I should let you feel like death a little longer, and then you'll learn."

"Bloody hilarious, Evans," Emilia muttered. If only she knew just how much she had learned from her actions last night.

That was the other thing. She had made out with Sirius bloody Black. She had made out with her best mate whilst drunk. They had _actually_ snogged. And not like one drunken peck on the lips, but a full out, quite steamy, all hands on deck, snogging session.

"Oh no," she heard Lily curse from the bathroom, and she covered her face with the covers to hide her blush. Only a few seconds later her friend walked out, "We're out of hangover potions."

Of course they were.

* * *

Emilia constantly wondered what she did to deserve such good friends, but right now, she could kill Lily Evans.

"Lily, please just go and ask James if he'll give me a sodding hangover potion!"

The redhead just rolled her eyes at her, as if she were crazy. "I can't," she said, bitting her lip slightly. "I'm mad at him."

Oh, for the love of Merlin. "I am begging you."

"No."

"Please?"

"No." Wow, great friend she had. "Why don't you go?"

"Because I can barely get up!" And of course she had snogged her best friend, but that's beside the point. "Or hey, ask Peter or Remus… or Sirius."

She would have been lying if she didn't slightly cringe at his name.

Lily sighed, rolling over on her own bed. It was almost two o'clock and Emilia still hadn't left her dormitory, only having eaten a scone Lily brought up from breakfast. "No, because then I'd probably see James and I really don't want to look at him."

Emilia groaned, massaging her temples. "What even happened between you two?"

Her question was met with a small huff and then silence, which meant Lily wasn't going to talk. At this rate, she was going to get her hangover potion when her hangover was already gone, and that was saying something.

"I hate you."

* * *

As far as luck went, Emilia would say she wasn't a particularly unlucky person.

Except for today.

Today everything that could possibly go wrong was going wrong.

Because apparently, a hangover wasn't punishment enough for getting it on with one's best friend.

As soon as Emilia walked out of her dorm down to the Gryffindor common room, she was met with the stare of two grey eyes. The same pair of grey eyes that had stared at her the night before. The pair of grey eyes that belonged to the one person she was hoping to avoid.

"Shit," Sirius whispered, stopping abruptly in his tracks. He had been walking over to the staircase, where he had almost collided with Emilia. He took in her appearance. "You look like hell."

"Thank you," she snapped, immediately hating herself for it. She couldn't even bring herself to be mature about this. Say, 'Sirius, I know we snogged, but we can put it behind us, right?' No. Of course she had to be snappy and weird. She tried to backtrack. "I mean I know, I don't have any hangover potion."

She watched as he seemed to consider his options, before he walked past her, motioning for her to follow. She did as she was told, because honestly, in what position was she to deny the much-needed potion?

They walked up the stairs to the boy's dormitory in silence. Emilia cringed at what was to come, and inevitable fight of some sort. Their friendship was surely ruined. Not only would she have to go into hiding with Lily, but she wouldn't even be able to talk to Peter or any of the other Marauders because they would no doubt take his side. Well maybe Peter would take her side… Merlin, it was going to be awful.

As soon as they were in the room, Sirius turned on her, shutting the door. She looked up at him, partly surprised at his sudden actions, partly already having expected them. He looked tired, as though he hadn't slept. His hangover was cured, but he didn't exactly look like himself. After a few seconds, he spoke softly, "What… So, last night, eh?"

Emilia's eyebrow rose in question. Was he really going to act like it was just some casual Saturday night occurrence? "Last night," she agreed, uncertain. It wasn't like she knew what to say in situations like these. She was always a bit awkward, but the situation just called for it this time.

"Fuck," he bit out under his breath, and she winced. Here came the fight. But instead, he turned quickly, walking to the bathroom. "Well, nothing to do about it now."

Emilia frowned, looking around. She tried to focus on anything (the scattered clothes, the unmade beds, anything) other than her rapid breathing because, in all honestly, she wasn't sure what to expect when it came to Sirius. There was no obvious lead up to this whatsoever.

She wasn't usually clueless about this type of thing. She knew what happened with meaningless snogs. She met someone, they introduced themselves, acted like they were interested in something other than swapping saliva for the night, and then, well, swapped said saliva. After that, they each went on their way, never speaking about it again.

But with Sirius… was it meaningless? She couldn't just act like she didn't know him because she did. Merlin, they had been friends since first year. She had seen him through his worst bout of dragon pox in second year. He had brought her hot chocolate and laid with her in bed when she had awful period cramps. They just _knew_ each other.

"Here," Sirius said, interrupting her thoughts as he handed her a small vial of what she knew too well to be hangover potion. She eyed him warily before holding her breath and swallowing it back, ignoring the initial feel of nausea. After a few seconds, however, she smiled, feeling her headache go away and her grogginess disappear. She loved magic.

"Thank you," she said, throwing him a smile. For a second, she forgot the situation she was in and was about to grin, but reality came rushing back as she was met with a frown.

"Ems," Sirius said, and she cringed. She didn't want to do this. He was being way too serious –excuse the pun –about the whole ordeal. She wished he would just throw a joke about it. "We should—"

"Act like it never happened," she blurted. Damn, why did she have to be so impulsive all the time. How cliché could this situation get? She wished immediately she hadn't said anything, because she wanted to know what he had to say, but she didn't want talk about it really.

Sirius eyed her carefully, before he visibly relaxed. "If that's what you want," he said, a small grin playing on his lips.

"If that's what _you_ want," Emilia countered.

"It is," he said firmly, before smiling. "Merlin, I thought we were going to make a big deal about this. It's not like it meant anything, right?"

Fuck. "Right."

"And this shouldn't ruin our friendship. I haven't told anyone…" he said carefully, running a hand through his hair nervously, a silent question on his lips.

"Me neither, Sirius," she muttered, a little annoyed. Was she not important enough to brag about like he did his other conquests? Then she mentally slapped herself, because it was stupid of her to think like that. She wasn't another one of his conquests, to begin with. And it was better this way. Easier. "So… friends?"

"Of course, love. It was just a kiss, anyway," he scoffed, grinning at her and rolling his eyes nonchalantly. He turned away, walking to the door and opening it. "Coming?"

Her heart skipped a beat and she was filled with a sudden and unexpected disappointment.

 _Just a kiss_.

She forced a grin, swallowing the knot in her throat. "Don't want to smell dirty underwear longer than necessary."

He laughed loudly, throwing an arm around her shoulder as she walked past.

 _Just a kiss._

Fuck.

* * *

 **A/N:** Another chapter of this mess. It's been a while, I know, but I'm in the middle of exams so I haven't really been able to write. I'm working on the next chapter now so hopefully it'll be up soon.

Also thank you for all the reviews! They keep me going. I'm glad you're liking it so far 3

Nicole xx


End file.
